What is an Ignatian City? What did it mean to be female before the dawn of modernity? Can you learn to think algorithmically, even if you aren’t a math major? These are just a few of the questions tackled in Saint Louis University’s (SLU) Ignite Seminars. The Ignite First-Year Seminars are part of SLU’s University Core program and are designed to introduce students to what makes teaching and learning at SLU distinctive and transformative.
In these small, discussion-based learning experiences, SLU faculty members’ areas of expertise provide the lens through which first-year students practice the Ignatian learning process—a personal approach to learning rooted in context, experience, reflection, action, and evaluation. The Core is animated by four key values: Discovery, Integrity, Courage and Connection. Students are inspired to approach all future courses–both in the Core and in their majors–with this same spirit of curious, open inquiry.
Ness Sandoval, Ph.D., teaches the Ignatian City seminar. Sandoval created a course that allowed him to share his passion for urban sociology. “The influence of the Ignatian Intellectual tradition can be found easily in Philosophy and Theology courses. But students often don’t think about how this tradition also lives in classes rooted in the Social Sciences,” Sandoval said. “For me, the word ‘Ignatian’ signals to students that this will be a class built on the Ignatian intellectual values and traditions that challenge students to think deeply about justice, equality, and dignity.”
Katherine McKenna, Ph.D. teaches “Witch, Midwife, Healer, Scholar: Women and Science in the Pre-Modern World.” Her humanities seminar introduces students to women who participated in mathematics, science, medicine and the natural sciences in pre-modern times.
“History has been written mostly about and by men,” McKenna said. “But women have participated in science, making important contributions. This class looks at texts written by women about women’s contributions in ancient Greece up through the Renaissance.”
Ignite courses feature in-depth discussions. McKenna said her class discussions delve into preconceived notions about history. “We can have uncomfortable conversations in this small group, challenging our assumptions,” she said. “It is a space to rethink what we have learned and what parts of our history have not been taught before. Context matters to who we are and how we think about the past.”
McKenna said she loves teaching the course and seeing students expand their thinking about history. “The Ignatian emphasis on personal growth is really a core part of the course,” she said. “The universal perspective has been male, but there are voices from all different perspectives, races, classes, and gender if you look for them. The voices from the past are a great starting point for conversations about where we are now.”
Robert Lewis teaches urban planning at SLU. His Ignite course is his first experience instructing first-year students. “I love it,” he said. “I’m used to older students who are further into their academic careers. Now I get to share my passion and watch students learn about themselves in the process.”
Lewis’ course, which he lovingly describes as a live version of the ‘Urban Planning for Dummies’ text, teaches students to observe the world around them. “I want them to draw me a map of our neighborhood here at SLU so I can see what they see,” he said. “One of their first classes is then to complete a scavenger hunt of Midtown so they can get off campus, feel safe in their new surroundings here, and see how cities are designed.”
Lewis said he wants students to notice designs to facilitate discussions on the people involved with planning. “It’s very important for city planning to notice who is there and who is not – are people shopping? Can they walk around? Is the area mixed-use?”
“Our Jesuit mission calls for us to address problems and do what we can to make the world a better place,” Lewis said. “In urban planning, that means building smart neighborhoods that meet the needs of the residents. Where better to start than in our own backyard?”
Each year, SLU students choose their Ignite Instructors of the Year. In 2024, students nominated more than fifty faculty instructors for the honor. The winners were selected by a committee and were honored at a reception on Dec. 3, 2024. (In addition to Cooper-Sadlo and Campbell, the ceremony also recognized 18 finalists from across the University.)
SLU faculty Shannon Cooper-Sadlo, Ph.D. and Meadow Campbell, Ph.D. were honored for their work in teaching Ignite Seminars. Cooper-Sadlo won for her Spring 2024 Seminar, entitled “Conversations with a Mom, but not Your Mom.” Campbell was the Fall 2024 winner for her seminar, entitled “Dissecting a Timeline: Anatomy Through the Ages.”
Cooper-Sadlo was praised by students for the way the class handled difficult conversations.
“She recognizes the challenges that many college students grapple with, from navigating grief and anxiety to understanding the complexities of love, relationships, and finding one’s path in life,” one student wrote in their nomination. “Rather than shying away from these topics, she embraces them, creating a safe and supportive environment where students feel empowered to explore and share their experiences.”
A student in Campbell’s seminar said that the class helped reinforce that they were on the right track. “I have wanted to do forensic pathology for a while now and this Ignite Seminar has done nothing but ignite passion in me and solidify my feeling that I am in the right field of work,” the student wrote. “I love learning about this topic, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to take this class.”
By Maggie Rotermund and Joe Barker, Saint Louis University.